Not the End, After All
by DriedFrupcakes
Summary: In the moments after Link and Zelda have been sent back to their world, the Princess and the Rabbit have a moment to reflect. Light Hildavio (Hilda x Ravio). Spoilers.


**AN: **Remember! Spoilers for A Link Between Worlds and shippiness ahoy.

Officially contributing to the Hildavio/Ravilda tag now as well! I'm on a roll. Again, this began as a drabble and became a bit of a character study partway through. Thank you for reading.

One last burst of illumination emanated from the grey slate, a final parting gift of light to those who remained on the other side.

The dark Princess shut her eyes, feeling their final connection with the other world dissipate from around her wrist. It was over.

"_May your journey home be swift and safe. So say I, Princess Hilda of Lorule."_ Her final, mental prayer for those that had disappeared beyond the slate.

The slight rustle of clothing behind her snapped her from her thoughts, and though she could not yet turn to face him, she smiled.

"Is that…Is that it then, Princess?" He asked, barely above a whisper.

She continued to smile, despite the finality of such a statement. He had always had such a shy way of asking her questions, even before such dire events. She supposed that he hadn't really changed despite his adversities.

"Yes, Ravio. I believe you and I may be witness to our world's end, soon."

How she wished she could truly feel as calm as she spoke in the face of their demise. On the outside her years of royal upbringing had conditioned her to speak with nothing but the highest grace and poise; unfortunately it could do nothing to quell her internal struggles. The young man in the rabbit guise behind her had no such upbringing, and so his distress could be felt immediately.

"Ohh…the end, Your Highness?" His voice cracked.

"…Yes. Without a Triforce to sustain itself, I believe our world is in its final moments."

She still did not face him, but he had never worn his emotions on anything but his sleeve, so she knew his eyes had fallen to the ground.

"I'm sorry, my Princess. I'm sorry that I couldn't help you to stop this from happening."

A small peep.

"Oh, Sheerow apologises as well." He cleared his throat, voice becoming more stern. "If there was anything I could have done to set things right, please believe me when I say I would have done it."

His voice wavered, and she surprised herself by realising she was on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry for being such a coward. If I'd been able to stand up to Yuga and yourself, maybe there'd have been a chance I could have-"

"Ravio." She cut him off. Perhaps interrupting was not something befitting a Princess, but what did that matter now.

"There is nothing to apologise for. If there was nothing that could be done to save Lorule without tainting its integrity, then this is how things are to be." She said.

The sky began to darken above them, foreboding and beckoning destruction.

"Thank you, Ravio. You have done more for me than I could ever ask."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him gasp and recoil. It was so like him not to know how to take a compliment from her.

"Princess Hilda-"

"Please, just Hilda now."

She turned slightly as clouds formed overhead. They didn't have much time left. With a slight flick of her wrist, she beckoned him to her side.

"Come, join me." She whispered, a single tear falling down her cheek. "There is no one else I would rather spend these final moments with."

She outstretched her hand towards him. Yes, there was no one else in that moment she could possibly think of that she would rather be with. No one else had stayed by her side through everything – for a time by leaving it entirely.

From behind her came a voice that cracked. The words mattered more than how they were said.

"I…I feel the same way, Pr- eh, Hilda. I'll stay with you. To the end."

With a faint blush on his cheeks he outstretched his own hand and took a step forward, before the sky above them opened and the earth began to quake.

"Ah!"

"Wh-what's goin-OOF!"

One struggled to keep her balance while the other toppled over, the weight of the huge moneybag on his shoulder likely contributing. In any other scenario she might have laughed at his clumsiness.

Could it be that the end was happening more quickly than expected? Surely, she'd thought, they'd have had a few more minutes to watch it all come crashing down together-

But instead of the apocalypse, a golden light rained down upon them from the slate.

It shuddered and split apart casting rubble every which way. As the dust settled and her eyes became adjusted to the sight before her, the Princess couldn't help but let out a gasp. Could that be..? Was that…?

"HOLY GEEZE!"

Certainly not as eloquent as she, but he had every right to be surprised. The sacred talisman left by the goddesses, destroyed by her lineage, and now recouped in her lifetime…

The Triforce, it seemed, was reforming before their eyes.

She raised her hands to her mouth and, unable to hold them back any longer, allowed her tears to run freely.

"Thank you, Princess Zelda…Oh, thank you. And to you as well, Hero of Hyrule…thank you, Link." She whispered into her clasped hands.

He looked over at her, his own eyes glistening and a silent thank you on his lips.

"My-er, Hilda. Hilda, Lorule is going to be alright!" He beamed.

His smile faltered however when his words only caused her to shudder and cry more fiercely, her face red and a slight, distinctly un-royal hiccup to her tears. Had he said something wrong? Panic arose within him for a moment – there was no reason on earth why he would ever want to be responsible for her tears. Any grief at all within her, for that matter. He knew he looked awkward, crawling over to her, but that didn't matter as long as he could be there to console her. On his hands and knees, he was finally able to get a good look at her face, and that was what made him understand.

"Hilda…" He knew it was completely overstepping his boundaries to place a hand on her shoulder, he would likely be scolded for treating royalty as such, but…

She took his hand and more, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Ravio." She mumbled into the nape of his neck, the blush crawling back upon his cheeks. "Stay with me a while?"

She didn't have to say anything more than that. Gingerly, his heart racing with excitement, happiness and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on, he wrapped his arms around her body and held her close to his heart.

The clouds began to part and sunlight poured down on their backs as they shared their embrace, drying the tears that had soaked into their clothes. Ravio shut his eyes and stroked her dark hair lightly, for once completely silent. He only opened them when he felt a pair of warm lips upon his cheek, and found himself staring into the red eyes of a Princess who could not have been any happier. She smiled, giggling softly at his embarrassed reaction.

Yes, it seemed Lorule would be alright.


End file.
